The whole point of free speech is not to make ideas exempt from criticism but to expose them to it.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Travlog: Part 5 -- Pelicans

Pelicans look a lot like depictions of pterodactyls. I love to watch them fly. They often cruise single-file in groups of three to nine or so, gliding impossible distances with their slightly drooping wingtips just an inch above the water, rising a few inches to flap a few times, then settling to glide again skimming the water. I was unable to get any usable shots of this phenomenon, but I have a few other shots.

I took a camera that is pretty good for still shots, with a built-in zoom of amazing capability. However, it was cheap enough that I chose it for the trip because I wouldn't mind if it was "misplaced." However, its ability to focus and shoot quickly is pretty limited, so I wasn't able to get shots of pelicans fishing. They fly a few feet over the water, then brake, fold their wings and drop bill-first into the water, nearly end-over-end as the water catches the open bill. They then settle on the water and gulp down the fish they catch nearly every time they go through this.

Here's a shot of pelicans stooping to dive for fish. I took this shot from Google images.As you've probably surmised, I don't have much to say about anything important these days, like which poseur is going to be the Republican nominee for president. I am so baffled by the City of Rapid City's prosecution of the landfill-conspiracy folks that I don't know what to think about that. The city ruined Randy Meidinger's life after an extensive investigation which led to a trial at which Glenn Brenner's crack investigators apparently couldn't produce any evidence. WTF?

Moderator

Bob Newland posts topics to this forum. The Forum is based in Rapid City, So. Dak., so local references are almost always in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

A Creed

Politics was defined in an essay by the incomparable Lewis Lapham, at the time managing editor of Harper's magazine. He said, Politics is the continuous argument over who gets to do what to whom, for how long, and against what degree of dissent. It has yet to be said better.